Case in point – crown molding.

It’s light, which makes it a lot simpler to hold over your head while nailing off crown molding all day. The belt hook is also key if you need two hands to get the crown seated in just the right position before fastening it while you’re on a ladder.

After the install is done, you’ll appreciate the clean countersink hole that this nailer leaves. Some nailers leave a small lip, or an extra dent that takes extra sanding and filling work to hide. This gun just leaves a clean-edged hole and the no-mar tip works perfectly. The only time the tip can be a disadvantage is nailing into some tightly curved profiles. You have to be careful that the tip isn’t preventing the nose of the gun from being pressed fully against the work piece. (Then the nail may not be driven all the way in and countersunk.)

No problems using the Porter Cable angled nails that you find at local stores.

Loading was really slick once I found the small tab that helps to hold the nail pusher out of the way.

My two gripes -

1. They didn’t include a quick disconnect air fitting and the diameter of the fitting is a bit larger than most nailers sold at the mega-stores.

2. The included bottle of pneumatic tool oil doesn’t seal well and can leak inside the case if you store it on its side.

The package contents are: a plastic case, the 7140-21 nailer, a bottle of air tool oil(appears to be about 2 ounces), a pair of safety glasses, two allen wrenches (4mm and 5mm), a box of 1,000 2″ 15 gauge bright end nails, a warranty card, and the instruction manual.

**This item does not come with a required 3/8″ male air hose coupler, so make sure you pick one up. Or if you are like me pick up a 3/8″ to 1/4″ coupler adapter, as I only have a 1/4″ air hose setup.**

The Plastic Case:

The case is a very nice heavy duty plastic carrying case which holds all of the contents with a perfect fit and keeps closed tightly with two heavy duty metal locking hinges. It also has a built in plastic handle to easily carry the case and contents around.

The Nail Gun:

The 7140-21 has a fantastic quality feel to it, like most Milwaukee tools do. It is also very light at only 4.2 pounds. It is made up of magnesium (body), plastic (nail magazine), rubber (grips), and steel (nail feeder and barrel). This nailer shoots 1″ to 2.5″ 15 gauge nails with a 34 degree collation angle as per manufacturers specifications. It also carries 106 nails in the magazine so you can shoot nails for a long time before adding more. There are some other nice features built into this nailer. The first is a simple tool less nail depth adjustment knob to quickly change the depth of the nail drive. Another feature is a 2 way switch which can: change the trigger into either single sequential actuation mode or into contact actuation mode. This means you can either shoot one nail at a time by pressing the trigger when the workpiece contact is depressed(single sequential actuation) or hold the trigger down and every time you depress the workpiece contact a nail is fired(contact actuation). Another feature is a swivel thick plastic belt clip to hang the nail gun on your belt or pant pocket or whatever when it is not in use. The nail gun also has a nice exhaust feature in which the exhaust cover can turn 360 degrees so you don’t have to have compressed air blown in your face. Finally the nailer has a fantastic designed non-marring pad which goes on the workpiece contact and even has an extra one stored on the magazine in case you lose the one that is on the tool.

The Bottle of Oil:

2 ounces of your basic bottle of air tool oil. More than enough for a small job. Remember to oil your tool several drops before and after every use and it will extend the life of your air tool.

The Safety Glasses:

A clear pair of safety glasses, but I prefer my Ztek clear tinted safety glasses though for all my work.

The Allen Wrenches:

Your basic 4mm and 5mm allen wrenches. Use them to tighten the screws that hold the tool together if they become loose or you can take the tool apart if you need to work on the tool. They are simple to replace though if lost.

The Nails:

1,000 15 gauge 2″ bright end nails. Cover them up or they will rust.

The Warranty Card:

Its just a warranty card and registration to become a member of the Heavy Duty Club (Whoopdie Doo!!!). Send it in if you want the warranty or to become a Heavy Duty Club member. I never do though.

The Instruction Manual:

The most vital thing to do is read this before you start using your tool.

Conclusion:

I bought this nailer to install some 3/4″ ponderosa pine craftsman style trim I had made for a huge project I was working on. I figured the 15 gauge would hold it better than 16 gauge, plus the nailer was on sale when I bought it and I’ve never had a Milwaukee tool that wasn’t first rate quality. This nailer is no exception. This nailer performed absolutely flawlessly for me. It did not mar the wood at all in ponderosa pine(an extremely soft wood). It countersunk all the nails I shot with it unless I hit a drywall screw or a nail in the framing(only happened twice). The nailer just feels like a quality tool when you use it and if something were to happen to it I would certainly buy another one.

My only beef with it could be that it has a 3/8″ NPT air inlet instead of a more common 1/4″ one. Other than that I would highly recommend this nailer.

As a product line footnote, Milwaukee is discontinuing their line of pneumatic nailers in the US. This go is part of their increasing focus on tools made for their core trades users. You heard it here first.

-Michael Springer